Humanity's Legacy
by Andrithir
Summary: The galaxy believed that humanity was represented by the Systems Alliance, but they never accounted the United Nations Space Command. PostME2.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, I've gone for a different merge between Mass Effect and Halo. Instead of having the Human Systems Alliance being the descendant of the UNSC. I'm going to have the UNSC still active.**

**Also I'm calling Shepard, Sam instead of John, for obvious reasons. **

**I also really haven't decided in which timeline I will set this story, mainly due to certain canon issues. Probably postME2 through to ME3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or Mass Effect.**

**Rating: M (for impending violence and sexual references).**

**XXxxXX**

_Personal Journal of Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, Chief of Naval Operations._

_-March 7, 2553_

_The War is over; Humanity's existence is no longer threatened by fanatical aliens. However there are still remnants of Covenant out there, the Elites, (politically recognised as Sangehili) are now on the hunt for any remaining loyalists._

_The Grunts (politically known as Unggoy) and Hunters (politically known as Mgalekgolo) are still fighting on both sides due to the Schism. However, more Grunts and Hunters are turning to the sides of the Elites and abandoning their Loyalist superiors._

_On other notes, the economy lies in tatters; it is possible we may go through a depression. Stimulus packages are being issued. I am very concerned right now._

_-September 18, 2553_

_I have received our military statistics. The Spartan-III ranks have increased exponentially. There are enough Spartan-IIIs to field a divisions worth of soldiers._

_There are still a small number of Spartan-IIs; they have been put on standby in case of a rebel attack. They are also training the Spartan-IIIs._

_Sadly, other military branches aren't doing so well, specifically the Navy. Our Navy is still in tatters, but it will recover._

_-December 25, 2553_

_Merry Christmas, an economic depression has been averted; recovery and rebuilding programs have been enacted across Earth._

_Insurrection activity has been quiet for the past few years now, but ONI is still out on the look for them. Right now we are not concerned with rooting out the Insurrectionists, we just lack the manpower to do so right now. I just hope they have given up and would leave us alone now._

_There have also been great medical advancements; our scientists have found a way to stop ageing. This is great news for us, as now, our troops can be in active service indefinitely, and we will also be able to recolonise lost planets at a higher rate._

_Also, scientists have now been able to produce a portable shield generator that is cheap to mass-produce. We will begin issuing them to the Spartan-IIIs and on vehicles. Cheaper models are being issued to our regular armed forces._

_I have also returned power back to the UEG. That's less political issues for me to be worrying about._

_-October 5,__, __2555_

_I have received word from the Arbiter that the war against the Brutes is not going so well. They have taken heavy losses. I have told him that I will send aid as soon as possible. But the Arbiter has said not to rush, for three decades of warfare has driven Humanity to the brink of destruction._

_I wish the Elites all of the best._

_-August 22, 2559_

_The Arbiter has sent word that the Prophets have gone into hiding, and now the Brutes are fighting amongst themselves now. The Elites have won._

_The Separatists have now renamed themselves as the Galactic Species Union; they have asked the UEG to join._

_I have advised the UEG to accept the invitation. It is obvious the GSU wants to be friends. That's fine by me; we'll have someone to watch our backs now._

_-January 22, 2560_

_We have uncovered numerous Forerunner Archives located deep within shield worlds and Micro Dyson Spheres, in them, we have discovered more efficient ways of slipspace travel, the science behind Beam Weapons, Forerunner Dreadnoughts, Forerunner power cells, Forerunner History and so much more. We have just made the greatest technological leap in all of mankind._

_I have read through some of the Archives, I can't believe the history that is filled in these Archives. Apparently, prehistoric humanity was space faring, and equivalent in power to the Forerunners, unbelievable. It also saddens me to discover that humanity was devolved after "their" defeat in the Human-Forerunner War._

_It is also revealed within the Archives that there are more alien species out there than expected. What came to my attention are unisex species like the Asari. Another species is the Prothean, it stated that they are extremely intelligent, it is quite possible that they are the ones who rose to power after the disappearance of the Forerunners._

_According to the Archives, the Protheans are or were a noble, mantle like race, just like the Forerunners. However I couldn't speculate much since the Archives had ceased to update since reseeding the galaxy was completed. But now, since our "return" to the Archives, did it start to collect more information._

_On another note, analysts have found disturbing logs on a synthetic-semi-organic species known as Reapers. However, Reaper attacks have been easily repelled by Forerunners. I have no doubt that they will pose a problem to us, but with our recently acquired Forerunner technology, they won't be as problematic and chaotic as the Covenant was._

_I believe that the Protheans had also disappeared for some unknown reason otherwise; they would have come to aid us during the Human-Covenant War. I am also sure that the Protheans did not encounter the Covenant, for if they had, the Covenant would have probably been dismantled._

_We have also recovered Dr Catherine Halsey, SCPO Mendez, three Spartan-IIs and five Spartan-IIIs in a Forerunner made, Micro Dyson Sphere. They are still alive and in good health. It should be interesting to note that they haven't aged a day since they entered the Micro Dyson Sphere._

_This rescue was achievable through our understanding of the Forerunner Empire and Micro Dyson Spheres._

_-May 12, 2589_

_Reach has been terraformed and restored back into a habitable planet again. Human colonists are re-settling the planet._

_We are recovering._

_On another note, more information have been decoded, we have developed more efficient means of travelling through slipspace. It has allowed our jumps to be faster, more efficient and predictable. Instead of tearing and punching a hole into slipspace, we can now access it with surgical precision. Obviously this is included into our naval tactics._

_Light Capital Warships will perform effective hit-and-run tactics while our Capital Warships will fire and manoeuvre. This will give us an edge over the enemy._

_-June 7, 2595_

_More planets have been restored. Our economy is now at 75% compared to our pre-War economy. This is enough for us to start upgrading our armed forces._

_Expeditionary Forces are now armed with energy weapons (beam), and our supercruisers have been replaced by the Forerunner Dreadnought, we have five in commission and three more under construction. We have also launched new ship classes to replace our ageing Fleet. If any Aliens dare take us on now, we'll be ready._

_Our Scientists have perfected the enhancement drugs used for the previous Spartan-Is and now have started to issue them to our Special Forces. Once more funding has been allocated; the drugs will be issued to our regular soldiers._

_I have also received word from recon elements that the Ark (Installation 00) is fully operational again._

_-May 8, 2620_

_Strange occurrences have been happening all over Earth, ion storms and earthquakes have started to crop up all over the world, Australian outback is experiencing heavy rainfall and snow, England is in its worst drought for a month, then a month later it would be blanketed in an ion storm._

_UEG has deemed that it is time to move to Reach, and make the planet our new homeworld._

_Now, the Ark has become the UNSC's capital during the rapid expanse of our armed forces, while Reach will serve as the economic and political capital of humanity._

_The Colonists in Sol are also being relocated._

_-July 18, 2621_

_Earth is now devoid of human life, the planet has become too geologically unstable. Much of our history has been lost to these natural disasters. I wonder if it is possible that the Portal on Earth still exists. Maybe, maybe not, but ion storms, firestorms and earthquakes have increased in numbers and intensity._

_Our scientists still cannot explain these phenomenons; Earth is still under close watch. UEG is still keeping its name though._

_The same thing goes for Sol._

_-October 25, 2623_

_It is interesting to note that humanity is now a superpower in this Galaxy, and insurrectionist activities have ceased._

_On another note, the Top Brass and UEG have also come to a decision that performance enhancing drugs will only be issued to Special Forces and Spartans. A shame really, that our regulars will not have the same physical and mental capacities as our Special Forces, but I was told the reason why, was due to funding and that to use these drugs, the subject must have extreme discipline._

_The scientists didn't really go through the specifics of these drugs with me. But I'm not going to bother._

_I have also been notified that Earth is now being bombarded by meteors and matter from solar flares. It will be sometime until the planet can be considered safe to return to._

_UEG has decided to call off any drones and satellites that are observing Earth. Apparently, these meteor showers are destroying the lot of them. All Earth observing programs have been called off. Earth and its surrounding areas are too dangerous now._

_Also, trade and talks between the GSU have increased. The Grunts' reproduction rates have decreased exponentially; they are starting to become more independent. The Elites' martial culture has also changed, apparently, doctors were the most revered profession in their society, but now it is a much more respectable job, because the loss of blood is no longer dishonourable._

_-March 10, 2777_

_GSU has expanded, and so have we. We have expanded to the limits of Orion's arm. From current population projections, we will not need to expand to other planets for the next few hundred years._

_It should also be noted that we have not yet encountered any other life forms, the Forerunner Archives shows that we have only encountered a small fraction of alien species._

_-January 1, 3000_

_A turn of the millennium, a number of Elite, Grunts and Hunter delegates have come to Reach and other Capital Colonies to celebrate. It is obvious that this day was very important to them but well, our species are living peacefully together, and the Grunts do love a party._

_It is also surprising to note that the Arbiter Thel Vadam is still alive, and it appears he hasn't aged a day since the Memorial service in March 2553._

_I wonder how Earth is right now. It is possible that our homeworld has become stable once more, but what of its value? From what I remembered, we've mined every available resource; then again the buildings that remain still have material value, but are they worth salvaging?_

_It still has a great emotional value since it is humanity's homeworld. All in all, I think Earth is not worth returning too, not yet anyway._

**XXxxXX**

_June 9, 3005. Planet G617f, Harbour…_

John's fingers twitched, he opened his eyes and surveyed the room, creamy walls, orange teal curtains and windows revealing a cityscape unlike anything he had seen before. His brain kicked back into gear, in an instant he realized he was no longer in a cryotube; the cityscape looked oddly like Forerunner and he no longer had his armour. He was lying in a bed, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

A dual door opened, and in hovered a Forerunner monitor. "Ah Reclaimer, you are awake. I am 322 Overseer."

_He seems friendly_, thought John.

"Where am I?" the Spartan asked as he sat up.

"You are at the Fort Peak Medical Facility on the planet G617f, _Harbour_. _Harbour_ was one of the third planet to be overrun by the Flood after the fall of G617e, _Riverside_. First contact was made with the Flood on planet G617g, _Seaward_."

"How did I get here?"

"I detected your heavily damaged ship, protocol dictates that I was to initiate a search and rescue mission if there were any survivors or a search and destroy if there were any traces of the Flood. The sentinels I sent, found you in cryostasis. I ordered them to retrieve you, and any constructs that were on board."

_Cortana! How could I have forgotten her?_

"Did you find an AI aboard?" asked John, sounding a little panicky.

"Yes, however the AI was at the end of its operational lifespan. Protocol dictates that I was to repair the AI and move it to a Positronic Brain. Your construct is in my care, it will be fully operational in a few days."

John sighed in relief, Cortana was going to be all right.

"As for you Reclaimer, protocol dictates that I am to outfit you with the latest military hardware and medical services." The Monitor then floated to a screen, which showed all of the Master Chief's bios, "now if you look here, you will notice that I have injected self-repairing, self-replicating bionanites into your system. They will boost your immune system, accelerate you healing rate, prevent telomere deterioration and halt ageing. Injection of bionanites became mandatory during the Forerunner-Flood war as the Forerunners were assimilated at an alarming rate."

_Protocol seems to run this guy_, thought John.

Overseer then glided over to the doors he had entered earlier. "Now Reclaimer, if you can follow me to the armoury."

John swung his legs out of the bed and walked behind the monitor. Overseer led the Spartan through mazes of corridors and over bridges which allowed John to see much of the cityscape and Fort Peak. The Skyline was dominated by towering crystal blue buildings, while the lower altitudes of the city were filled with rooftop gardens. The Spartan's gaze then shifted to the confines of the Fort. Rows of Forerunner Dreadnoughts were docked in the vast plains, the ground littered with tiny dots, which were Sentinels and Engineers.

"Overseer, you said this planet was overwhelmed by the Flood, what happened?" asked John.

"Since _Harbour_ was claimed earlier in the war, it was spared from destruction by the hands of the Forerunners. Some planets were glassed; others were destroyed by stellar collapses. When the war had ended, I was part of the task force that was to restore and maintain any remaining planets."

"I see,"

The Spartan rounded another corridor and passed a few more Engineers, when Overseer stopped.

"Ah, here we are the armoury."

John saw a fearsome looking exoskeleton being tended to by some Engineers. There was panel next to it, summarising its tech specs.

The armour had a combined look of the MJOLNIR Mark VI Commando Variant and a Forerunner Combat Skin. The helmet was UA/FC-I[2], and the Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layer was replaced by Reactive Metal Liquid Positronic Brain layer, this was due to Cortana's need for more leg room.

Hydrostatic gel had been greatly improved using Forerunner formula to increase its ability to absorb shock and cool the armour.

The plates were "interconnected" at the joints now, instead of being separated like the previous MJOLNIR versions. The plates were connected at the joints by hard point plates which slide over each other whenever the occupant moved. This was to reduce the number of chinks and grab on points on the armour. It also increased the durability of the armour at the joints and prevented the user from dislocating a limb during combat.

The power cells had been replaced by the more superior and advanced Forerunner version, a Next-Gen Fusion-Plasma Hybrid Power System. The reason for this being was that the armour now utilised two layers of energy shields and possessed active camouflage.

Double layer of energy shielding -of equal strength- meant that if one layer was completely drained, the second layer would kick in, become the primary shields and protect the user while the shield generators for the first layer replenished itself and become the secondary layer. In addition, the shields were now able to be manipulated to a very limited extent.

The active camouflage system is a phased array optic system, which projects a three-dimensional background around the wearer, effectively bending light. A good thing to note would be that the system would not be fully compromised if the user fired their weapons or hit by enemy fire, only a small section in the immediate effected area would fail, but recover quickly.

Both systems required a great deal of power, and only the Forerunner power cells could cut it.

Next feature was that the armour possessed atmospheric insertion capabilities, effectively removing the need for the Spartan to use a drop pod for high altitude insertions; this also means that the armour possesses Oxygen rebreathers, effectively removing the need for cumbersome oxygen tanks.

The final addition to the combat skin is self-repairing Nanites, which effectively reduces the need for armour repairs, allowing the suit to be used for longer periods of time.

"As I was examining your armour, I notice that it paled in comparison to the standard Combat Skin that is issued to civilians. How you survived in your old armour is nothing short of remarkable. So as protocol dictates, I am to outfit you with this armour, of course it is a hybrid between yours and Combat Skin 20. I of course, used information found in your construct in order to add a more human look to it."

John gave a low whistle.

A few sentinels then entered the armour to help the Spartan don the armour on.

**XXxxXX**

_Five days later…_

It was a sunny day, and sky shone a turquoise blue. John sat in a chair overlooking the docked Forerunner Dreadnoughts. Among the sea of ships, one would be his. In that said ship, it contained modified UNSC Vehicles that were at the highest of Forerunner standards, a sleeker, meaner, tougher, and more advanced version of the ONI Prowler, a few hundred sentinels and engineers. Overseer said it was time for the Chief to be sent on his way, so the kind Forerunner AI gave John one of the deadliest ships in the history of the galaxy.

"Chief," said Cortana as she appeared on a nearby holotank, "it's time to go home, I'll meet you in the ship."

Cortana was back, and John smiled and genuine smile.

"Okay, but one question, how long has it been since…"

"…since you entered the cryotube on _Forward Unto Dawn_?" finished Cortana.

The Spartan nodded.

"My clock says, nearly five hundred years,"

John's gaze fell to the floor.

"Cheer up Chief; they'll still remember you,"

"I know,"

**XXxxXX**

_Normandy SR-2…_

Shepard was sitting in the Captain's chair on the control bridge of _Normandy SR-2_, Systems Alliance has just recalled him back to Earth, finally, some rest of sorts, he had to face the music for certain events that occurred recently, which ended badly for a system of Bartarians and a Mass Relay node **(A/N: Reference to the DLC Arricval)**, of course Hackett assured Shepard that the evidence against him was shoddy at best.

"Are you alright Shepard?" asked Miranda as she entered.

"I'm fine, how's the Illusive man holding up?" asked Shepard.

"He can rot for all I car, I've resigned from Cerberus. I can't work in work environment like his. Granted, I want what is best for humanity, and so does the Illusive Man, but he's doing it at the cost of our humanity, the human soul."

"I couldn't agree more Miranda."

The conversation was about to continue when the alarms began to blare.

"EDI, Status report," Shepard barked.

"I count twenty pirate ships on an intercept course," EDI said, "recommend a fighting retreat,"

Shepard swore, the only time when pirates would attack a state-of-the-art warship was when they are superbly trained, outfitted with the latest gear and paid a lot of money.

"Alert, all combat personnel are to be on standby," Shepard said into the ship's com channels, "this is not a drill, we are about to be engaged. I repeat, this is not a drill."

The crew then burst into a flurry of motions, combat personnel were arming themselves up and moving to bulkheads and defensive positions.

"Dammit, not again," muttered some of the crew.

Shepard unslung his M-8 Avenger and kept his M-76 Revenant at the ready, just in case he would run into a Krogan.

The Commander's gaze then fell onto the Nav screen, which showed the _Normandy_ about to be swarmed by angry red triangles.

"EDI, plot a flanking course on our port and target the closest ship," ordered Shepard, "Joker, keep this ship in one piece,"

"Copy Commander."

**XXxxXX**

John boarded a gondola, which was to take him directly to his ship. Next to him, was Overseer.

"Tell me," began John, "what is the name of this ship,"

"Serial number is FHS-999-888 _Unyielding_; this ship has been outfitted to for your requirements."

The gondola docked next to _Unyielding_'s hangar bay; there John stepped off the craft and onto the warship.

"Thank you, for everything,"

"It was an honour Reclaimer; I hope we do meet again."

Cortana was already on the Dreadnought and was waiting for the Chief. John entered an elevator which climbed to the command bridge. There John sat down in a chair that could support his weight. He noted that the bridge was much different to the last time he had been on a Forerunner Dreadnought. The last one looked skeletal and metallic grey. This one looked more… homey and luxurious. It had different grey to white toned walls, low lights, sleek work stations and a lot of holoprojectors.

"Take us home Cortana,"

The Dreadnought took off, once it reached Space and the blue skies turned to night, a slipspace portal opened.

"Initiating randomised jump,"

**XXxxXX**

**A/N: Well whaddya think so far? This would have to be the first Crossover in which I meshed the two universes together by mixing their histories. I know there is still a lot left to explain and a lot more to write about.**

**Until next time, kudos to you all and please review.**


	2. Rediscovery

**Chapter 2**

**A/N: Shepard's first name is Sam, in this story.**

**[This is a rewrite to address some mistakes that I found]**

**Also, I know that Systems Alliance is more correct than Human Systems Alliance. I just had it that way to make things a little easier.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Halo. (Funny how we need to do these disclaimers).**

**This Chapter also contains references to the Halo: **_**Believe **_**campaign commercials; i.e. Waypoint, Museum, Museum of Humanity, Diorama, Making of the John-117 Monument/Believe: The John 117 Monument, Hunted, Gravesite, and Enemy Weapon. Of course these references won't be the exact copy, because I've edited them to suit the story's needs.**

**Also, if you can guess which Personal account I wrote, by myself, you get a cookie.**

**XXxxXX**

_Normandy SR-2_…

Shepard cursed; pirate vessels and boarding crafts were inbound. The pirate "fleet" had managed to surround and pin down the _Normandy_. He knew that he couldn't run now, he'd have to stand and fight.

"EDI, send out a mayday, and open fire on the nearest ship and boarding crafts," ordered Sam.

"Copy,"

A small shudder vibrated through the ship as the Javelin Disruptor Torpedos and Thanix canon was fired. The laser beam burned through the shields of a pirate ship, whilst the missiles came in and finished it off. The enemy vessel began to spin as atmosphere was vented out of its hull, its superstructure was heavily damaged and couldn't take any more stress and so broke in half.

"That's one down, nineteen more to go," muttered Joker.

"Commander, enemy boarding crafts have bypassed the ship's weapon systems,"

"Got it EDI," Shepard then walked over to the consoled and picked up a mike, and spoke of the PA system, "Alert, Pirate boarding crafts have managed to latch on to us, all crewman prepare to repel boarders."

In an instant, all combat personnel aboard the _Normandy _exploded into a fury of actions, as they moved to defend certain areas and bulkheads.

…**.**

Samara The biotic Asari quickly rushed to the command bridge, with an M-8 Avenger rifle in hand. The Asari was taken back at the fact that some pirates were able to pin down the _Normandy_ and managed to board it, but quickly stuffed those thoughts into the back of her mind; thinking about it wasn't going to help.

The biotic Asari arrived at the command bridge; the whole place was a flurry of motions.

"Samara," said Shepard, "I need you down at the hangar bay; Garrus says they're being overrun."

"Got it."

With that, the young Asari left.

"Sir," it was Joker, "you think we can pull through this?"

"So long as our main guns are working, we'll pull through,"

Just at that very moment, a strong vibration washed through the ship. Shepard stumbled before regaining his balance."

"Alert, main weapons are offline," warned EDI.

"A GODDAMIT!" yelled Joker.

"Alert, engines have been disabled; crews in the engine room have been killed in action,"

"SON OF A BEYATCH! We're dead in the water."

Shepard then picked up a mic, and spoke into the ships intercom system.

"Attention crewmen, we are dead in the water, I repeat, we are dead in the water. Pull back to the control bridge,"

_These guys are good_, thought Shepard, _they've taken out the engines before I could escape, and they've destroyed the weapons before we could blast them all to hell_. _But they can't possibly be pirates. We would have shredded them apart long before then._

…

Miranda was pinned at a hallway, she fired accurate bursts at the pirates, one round struck a human dead in the head sending blood and brain matter behind him. The second and third round, found their marks in a Krogan's throat.

The massive alien let out a blood curling cry; it was by no means beaten, even if there was blood pouring out of its throat. The Krogan broke cover and attempted to shoulder charge Miranda.

Miranda then broke cover and pulled back, a few rounds splashed across her kinetic barrier, but it was still functional. The Cerberus operative continued to fire her weapon until the ammo ran out, she then ejected the depleted mag and slapped in a new one.

The Krogan was still charging at her, and the gap was closing. The alien lunged at Miranda, who in turn stopped firing and began to use her biotics.

But she didn't need to. Instead, Grunt had tackled the Krogan while it was still in mid-flight. Grunt slammed the enemy Krogan into a wall with such shocking force that its head was turned to pulp.

The other pirates who just saw what had happened, turn tailed and ran. The Cerberus operative took this opportunity to cut them down. A quick burst from her rifle did the trick.

Miranda breathed heavily, she was so close to becoming dead.

"Thanks,"

"Don't mention it," replied Grunt, who then unslung his shotgun, "Shepard ordered us to get back to the bridge, let's move,"

The two made a slow fighting retreat back to the command bridge. Along the way, they ran into what was left of a platoon of marines, Samara and Garrus.

The men looked like they had tried to take a company of Krogans head on, but failed miserably.

The group moved close towards the bridge until they were ambushed by… Collectors.

_Bingo_, thought Samara, _pirates can't pull this attack off by themselves, the Collectors are behind it._

Of course the Asari wasn't the only one thinking that, the moment contact with the Collectors were made, everyone joined the dots that this was a Collector attack, not pirate.

A couple of Collectors formed up at a darkened hallway, their four luminous eyes glowed, giving a demonic touch to their appearances.

Garrus instantly took cover, aimed his rifle at a set of glowing eyes and fired. The Collector fell, with its head shredded and its body limp.

"Persistent bastards," the Turian muttered.

"You've got to respect their tenacity," added Jacob.

The other crewman on the Normandy followed suit and returned fire. The Collectors didn't last long against such firepower.

"Come on, we need to fall back," yelled Garrus, "cover fire, retreat".

The group then proceeded to do a leap frog retreat, covering each other's withdrawal back to the command bridge.

**XXxxXX**

_Unyielding…_

John paced around the command deck, he was taking some time to adjust to his new suit, the armour was outfitted with an array of detection systems, which included sonar and motion sensors.

In his arms, he cradled a Forerunner assault rifle that Overseer called it as the Superior Combat Assault Rifle. Which then prompt John and Cortana to dub it as the SCAR-Forerunner Variant, SCAR-FV.

The SCAR-FV was about the length of the Covenant Carbine that was used extensively by the Elites. It also looked remarkably similar too, except it was a reflective silver colour, had a foregrip, optic sights with various settings and was of a bullpup design.

The weapon however, fired blue beams of energy instead of green radioactive rounds. When fired on a fully automatic setting, the SCAR-FV sounded like a whirring turbine since its fire rate was so high. An unprotected object would be shredded within seconds by this weapon.

Overseer had mentioned that it was developed to fight against the Flood, and it proved to be extremely effective because it literally cooked its targets alive with its high rate of fire. However, guns work both ways and what seemed to be a valuable asset to the Forerunners against the Flood, also proved to be a major obstacle.

"Coming out of slipspace in five," said Cortana, "four three two one."

The Keyship, still in stealth mode, exited slipspace and re-entered normal space.

"What the?" muttered John.

The displays around him showed a raging naval battle. One ship was surrounded by twenty or so other ships. All the vessels looked unfamiliar to John and the A.I.

"Running a check Chief," said Cortana as she scanned the ships, "Scan complete, no matches found,"

Obviously the lone ship is human, deducted the Spartan, because it had the words _Normandy SR-2_. The word "Normandy" obviously originated from humanity that much was true. But the Spartan couldn't recognise the ship as being UNSC; the vessel was far to "flashy" and didn't have the UNSC emblem on it. _Normandy_'s length was about 200m, and looked worse for wear, it was pocket marked with streaks of ash marks, burning hull sections and damaged weapons. It could be a civilian ship or a lost colony under attack by Pirates. And UNSC Protocol dictates that John must rescue them.

"Prep the Prowler I saw in the hangar, leave _Unyielding _in cloak," said the Chief.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, stay here,"

The Spartan exited the Command Bridge, and entered a rail car, which promptly transported him to the hangar bay, where the Prowler awaited him.

The Prowler's designation was UNSC _Elysium Sun_. It was coloured the standard matte black and matte grey as all Prowlers were, except _Elysium Sun_ was far more advanced in all aspects, it had enhanced armour plates, shielding, beam turrets, plasma missile pods, HORNET mines, cloaking, Shiva Nukes, just to name a few. The interface of _Elysium Sun_ had been rearranged so that it could suit a one-man crew, it had a basic dumb AI on board and in essence, it was an enlarged Longsword.

John entered the ship and sat in the captain's chair. The contours of the seat fitted his armour perfectly. The Spartan entered a few commands into the console in front of him, yanked the yoke and piloted the vessel out of the bay.

As the Prowler neared the battlefield, the display in front of him read:

-Weapons online. Range of nearest target 20km.-

-Target in range-

John tapped in a few more commands, and steered the ship right.

-Firing Plasma Salvo-

Five savage blobs of blue-white energy began to collect at the ends of the plasma turrets, the weapons discharged and the salvo torpedos streaked towards the first pirate ship.

-Cloak disengaged-

**XXxxXX**

"PHHhhwoaah!" yelled Joker as he shielded his eyes from the intense light.

Five comets shaped, blue-white rounds had slammed into a pirate ship, engulfing the mid-section of it in fire. Once the light had dimmed, Joker could see that the ship was gutted in half, its ends still glowing white hot.

"What was that?" said Miranda in shock.

Just then, a sleek, fearsome, matte black, wraith like ship appeared out of nowhere and flew past with all guns blazing. It looked alien and unfamiliar to the crew of _Normandy_, yet it looked strangely human.

Blue beams with the same intensity as the Thanix Canon stabbed and lashed out at pirate ships. The inferior armour plates and shields stood no chance against such awesome firepower. One pirate ship was riddled with so many holes that it ceased to function. Another had its engine disabled and was promptly gutted stem to stern by a blue beam.

On the side of the newly arrived ship was an emblem, the emblem had an eagle with its wings stretched out, the eagle was perched on a globe of the Earth, with the letters "UNSC" scrolled out.

"EDI, I want readout on that ship," ordered Shepard, he was absolutely shocked by the fire power of the vessel.

"Copy, the ship is the UNSC _Elysium Sun_; its length is 162 metres. It is appeared to be designed for stealth missions."

"Woah," said Joker surprised, "that ship is smaller than the Normandy, but it's giving those guys hell,"

"Who or what is the UNSC?" asked Samara

"Unknown, UNSC does not match anything in the database except for United Nations," replied EDI.

"The United Nations was formed when humanity was still divided," said Shepard, "and then when Humanity started to colonised other planets, the UN merged with the Systems Alliance. UNSC could simply be a designation,"

"But there are no designations like that for Human ships,"

"Guys, we can talk about History and designations later," said Joker with a great deal of urgency, "but right now, let's focus on getting out of here alive."

The other Pirate ships stopped concentrating on the Normandy and began to focus on this newcomer. They fired all their main weapons _Elysium Sun_. The pirate salvos detonated harmlessly against the ship's energy shields.

"Un…believe….able," muttered Miranda.

**XXxxXX**

_Reach, High Orbit…_

Lord Admiral Terrance Hood stood in the Command Bridge of the UNSC/Forerunner Keyship, _UNSC Faith_. The Dreadnoughts, were not to be confused with the class _Dreadnought_, and so all existing UNSC Dreadnoughts were redesignated as Keyships, because a class of _Dreadnoughts _were now about to enter commission.

About eight Dreadnoughts in total, these designs were based on the Forerunner Dreadnought class and the UNSC Destroyers combined. The new UNSC Dreadnoughts were shaped like swords with trapezoidal wings that angled down at an angle of depression of 30 degrees and spanned from the ships mid-section to the rear. They are 12km long and to act as Capital Ships for UNSC fleets. The Keyships were to act as Flagships and "heavy" Capital ships.

Hood watched as the engines of the eight Dreadnoughts flared to life and joined the ranks of an awaiting fleet, composed of 200 vessels. The majority were Light Capital Ships such as corvettes, Frigates and Destroyers, while the smaller numbers were Capital Ships and support ships.

This fleet was known as the UNSC 7th Battle Group. The aim of this Battle Group was to be a rapid response and an expeditionary unit.

The Lord Admiral looked into the vast expanses of space; out there lies the unknown, and the 7th Battle Group, will discover it.

Vice Admiral Jason Levinson walked up to Hood. He was a tall half-Asian and half-Caucasian man, measuring at six feet tall and was aged somewhere in his mid-forties. His hair was cropped neatly, and his face was shaved smooth. He had strong features, high cheekbone, high forehead, and eyes that said he was a calculative and brilliant, yet kind and caring. Everything about him, from the way he moved, to the way he treated others, earned him respect and admiration.

"Do you think Earth can be recolonised again sir?" asked Levinson.

"Do you think we'd want to after all that has happened? Solar matter starts to pummel the Earth, Ion storms starts to crop up everywhere all over the globe that leaves our lead meteorologists stumped. Then for no apparent reason, we have missing patches of ozone which leads Earth to be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation."

"I know what you mean sir, but Earth's our home,"

"I know," sighed Hood, "funny, you were born on New Jerusalem, why do you feel so strongly about Earth?"

Levinson smiled.

"My mother always said, no matter where we are born, we must always honour our origins. My origins are China and England."

"I wish the Innies had your way of thinking. Instead of thinking themselves as having no ties to Earth, and so it gives them the right to go blow up UNSC installations."

"Well in a twisted way sir, if it weren't for the Innies, we wouldn't be alive,"

"True." Contemplated Hood.

After a long moment of reminiscing, Terrance spoke.

"Prepare the fleet for combat exercises."

"Yes sir."

**XXxxXX**

_Normandy and Elysium Sun…._

_Normandy_ lay in near ruins, although the ship was secure, its weapons systems and engines were badly damaged and the hull was compromised. It would take months of self-repair just to get the ship moving under its own power.

As for the Collector/Pirate ships, they floated derelict, their hulls still glowing red hot.

"_Elysium Sun_ is hailing us, Commander," said EDI.

"Patch them through," said Shepard.

The holo-projector in the centre of the room showed a person in fearsome, sleek, military green armour with a reflective gold visor.

"Attention _Normandy SR-2_. This is the acting Captain of the UNSC Stealth Corvette _Elysium Sun_, Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan One-one-seven. CO, please identify yourself."

The Master Chief's voice sounded deep and calculative, the kind of voice that would be found in a reserved and wise war veteran.

"That's a stealth corvette?" gasped some of the crew.

"If that's a Corvette, then how big are their Capital Ships?" asked Garrus.

"Copy that, Master Chief. This is Commander Sam Shepard, we are grateful for the assist."

"Would you like a tow?"

Shepard thought about it for a moment, _it could be a trap,_ he thought. But Sam soon came to a conclusion that he had no other choice and decided to take up the offer.

"Yes please."

"Whatever that ship is, it's tough," said Miranda, "are you sure we can trust them Shepard?"

"What other options do we have?" asked Shepard solemnly.

**XXxxXX**

John cut the transmission feed and contacted Cortana.

"Cortana, open up, I'm bringing in _Normandy_."

"Copy that Chief, I'm also running scans on _Normandy_,"

The Spartan racked his brain to come up with an answer for what was going on. He saw on the transmission feed, a uniform worn by Commander Shepard, he didn't recognise, and multiple alien species he had never encountered before. However by the look of things, it seemed that the aliens were under the command of Shepard. But the next question was what fleet or colony does the _Normandy_ belong to?

There were so many unknowns; there was also a strong possibility that the _Normandy_ could be an Insurrectionist ship. But that theory was immediately scrapped because Innies hated the UNSC.

John also didn't feel too comfortable revealing _Unyielding_ to _Normandy_, but _Elysium Sun_ couldn't piggy back another ship through slipspace, so the only viable option was to dock both ships into _Unyielding_. But as soon as the crew of the _Normandy_ get off their ship, the Spartan was going to get some answers.

"Okay Chief, I'm decloaking."

"Copy that."

The Forerunner Keyship de-cloaked and revealed itself in a wink of an eye.

**XXxxXX**

"Oh my god….." breathed Joker.

Something had revealed itself. It was of a matte grey colour, and had the shape of a tri-pod with a triangular mid-section. It was absolutely huge; it looked like a warship of some kind. But there were no records of ships being that big.

"EDI, readout." Said Shepard, who was mesmerized by the size of whatever had appeared out of nothingness.

"Copy," replied the AI, "it is 11.41kilometers long, 13.18kilometers wide and 14kilometers in height and depth. Designation is UNSC_ Unyielding_."

"I think that's a mothership of some kind," said Kelly, "_Elysium Sun_ can't piggy back us with its FTL drive, so it's taking us to something that can."

A silence grew over the crew as the watched _Unyielding_ become increasingly larger as the neared it.

"Does anyone get the feeling that we could be taken prisoner?" asked Jacob.

"Yes," answered Kelly, "but if we stay out here, we'll die…"

"Go in there," interrupted Joker, "we'll die, or be taken prisoner, or taken home…. In a body bag."

"You're very pessimistic," said EDI.

"Says the VI who can't tell a joke," rebutted Joker.

As the _Normandy_ was moved into a docking station, the remaining crew managed to see the entire hangar. There were massive lifts to transport vehicles. Tanks and Jeeps on their parking spot, and floating bulbous aliens with a snake like head and tentacle fingers.

Though something was off, the docked vehicles didn't match to the design of the hangar, their themes were very different. But either way, Shepard couldn't help but marvel at the sight that lay before him. It was quite possible that Miranda was on the verge of drooling at all this technology.

_Elysium Sun_ released _Normandy_ into a dock and landed elsewhere. The crew watched as the Corvette extended its landing and touched down on a landing pad. The doors on the ship opened and a ramp extended to the ground. One lone figure walked down the ramp and stood to attention.

"I think this is the part where we go down and meet him," said Shepard, "all crewmen are to get their gear and meet down there in five."

"Yes sir."

…

Shepard and his entire team walked through the charred hallways of _Normandy_ which were lined with the bodies of pirates, collectors, and sadly, some of their own.

"Rest easy," said Jacob, paying his respects.

Finally, after navigating through the ruined passages, they descended from the ramp and onto the deck of _Unyielding_, where the Master Chief was waiting for them.

He was tall, very tall, and the gear he had on him were utterly fearsome.

The being saluted Shepard, who returned the salute as well.

"Please state your affiliations sir," said the Master Chief.

"Command Sam Shepard of the Human Systems Alliance," said Shepard.

"Wait, were you the only person on _Elysium Sun_?" asked Miranda.

"Yes, I piloted it. Now follow me."

_The man's got skill_, Joker thought.

Shepard nodded and followed the armoured being to a railcar, which transported everyone to a different level.

Many eyes wandered around the place, taken in such intricate symbols and technology displayed.

Samara wondered if this place was built by the Protheans. It was possible, but unlikely, because the architecture of _Unyielding_ didn't match the Protheans, although there are similarities between the two, it wasn't enough for a conclusive link.

The Asari then wondered if this Master Chief was human, it was very likely that he was, considering that he spoke accent less English, his technology looked human enough and he had the build of a human, though he was very tall.

"Where is everybody?" asked Jacob.

"Maintenance," came the reply.

The group soon entered a conference room, which looked very human; the room had deep oak panels on the walls, carpet flooring, projectors, a podium and a minibar in the corner.

Everyone took their seats while the armoured being stood at the podium.

"What is the Human Systems Alliance?" asked the Master Chief.

Shepard titled his head quizzically; it was odd to find someone who didn't know what that H.S.A. is. But Shepard decided to play ball and humour the being.

"The Human Systems Alliance is a military organisation that protects Earth and her colonies."

**XXxxXX**

_Did I just here what he just said? What happened to the UNSC?_ John thought.

"Is there something wrong Chief?"

John quickly thought about his reply. If he told his story, would these people believe him? Probably not. The Spartan decided to keep things to himself.

"Nothing's wrong," the Chief replied stoically.

"I doubt it," said Miranda, "you don't know what the H.S.A. is, and you say everything is fine?"

"That concludes our meeting; I'll have Cortana show you to your quarters for the trip back to Earth," John said abruptly.

…

The room looked nice, too Shepard, the décor was just right, not overdone, or overwhelmingly clinical. There was a double bed at the other side of the room, a holoprojector in front of it, two armchairs in the corner with a glass coffee table between them. To Shepard's left are the bathroom and a closet.

Sam walked over to the bed, he really didn't care if there were any bugs in the room and couldn't be bothered checking. If he removed the bugs, if there were any, then it could cause some problems. After all, he was on someone else's play ground where they had total control over it. In fact, the Commander wouldn't have even accepted the Master Chief's proposal for a tow back to friendly territory if his situation wasn't so dire.

But that was the situation, and Shepard had to play ball and tread very carefully if he wanted to get his people home, safe and sound, which was also the reason why Shepard didn't ask to many questions about the Master Chief.

**XXxxXX**

John lay in his bed with only his shorts and a t-shirt on. He wondered if the UNSC still existed. He could send out an unencrypted message, but it was too risky since it could attract unwanted attention. His best option was to go back to Earth and see if the UNSC had left behind anything.

Cortana then appeared on the holotank next to John's bed.

"Okay Chief, it's time to tell you what I've learned about our guests."

And she did…

**XXxxXX**

John awoke from his sleep, seven hours for him was more than plenty. He donned on his armour, grabbed his SCAR-FV and walked to the cafeteria where he got a Spartan serving of bacon and eggs, it was nice to have a change from the MREs. He sat down in a booth to eat his meal and process the information Cortana gave him last night.

Apparently the H.S.A.'s first contact was with the Turians, but that first contact was really a second contact and the war didn't last long, nor did it have many casualties.

Miranda is a Cerberus operative, which meant she worked for an extremely pro-human organisation. John didn't really have a problem with Cerberus's goal, but he did have a problem with their methods and the specifics of their goal. He would have to keep an eye out for Miranda and make sure she wouldn't go running off with some valuable tech, not that she would get very far.

Shepard was like the younger version of Admiral Cole, brilliant and tactful, and scored victory in overwhelming odds. John would definitely vouch for the man.

The Spartan was about halfway through his meal when Shepard, Mordin Solus, Kelly Chambers and Samara entered the cafeteria; the two selected their breakfasts and then came to sit at the same booth.

John noticed that the Asari had selected sweet foods instead of savoury.

"What's the plan now?" asked Chambers.

"After we've finished our randomized jump, we'll make a direct jump back to Earth."

"Wait," said Mordin, "you mean to say that you're using an FTL to get back to Earth that would take decades. Why don't you use a Mass Relay node?"

"It's inefficient, and protocol dictates that all UNSC vessels make a randomised jump before heading to a major human population."

That sounded like an Emergency of State protocol, to Shepard, the one used during wars.

"Chief, why don't you start with your history? I have no doubt that you already know mine, considering you're AI," said Shepard.

"Oh you're good," said Cortana as she appeared on a holo-projector.

"That can wait sir," said John, "I don't mean to sound rude, but I'll doubt that you'll believe me. I'll tell you when we get back to Earth."

"On another note, you're ship is fully repaired," said Cortana.

"Just the way it was?" asked Kelly.

The A.I. nodded. "Exactly like the way it was before, minus the trophies and some of the original crew. We're about to exit slipspace now, you might want to get to your ship."

John moved to the Command Bridge, while his passengers headed back to their ships.

"You repaired the _Normandy_ in just seven hours?" John said with a tone of surprise.

"A lot of engineers and sentinels helped out."

"Very well then. Prepare to exit slipspace."

"Aye, aye Chief."

**XXxxXX**

_Earth…_

The control tower was just the same as usual, employees moved back and forth making sure what ships had to turn up, what ships had to leave, and so on so forth.

It was business as usual, until a purple-blue-white light emanated from nothingness.

"Oh my god," said an operator, he stood from his desk and watched as a massive ship came out of a glowing portal.

The computer started its readout of the ship.

-UNSC _Unyielding_-

In an instant, the entire Control exploded into motion as operators scrambled to send out messages. He then flicked on his mike and hailed the vessel.

"Attention UNSC _Unyielding_, you are in Human Systems Alliance territory, please…."

Before he could go on, a reply came.

"This is Commander Shepard of the _Normandy _SR-2, we are on escorting the UNSC _Unyielding_."

"Uh, copy," stammered the operator, he then turned to his supervisor, "should we call the higher ups?"

"I'll do it."

The operator turned to his colleague and spoke.

"You think they're going to detain _Unyielding_?"

"The name says it all, detaining someone of that calibre is utter stupidity."

"Yeah, big ship, big guns, don't touch them if yours is smaller."

The comms then crackled and another voice sounded.

"Earth Control Tower, this is the acting commander of the UNSC _Unyielding_, requesting permission to remain in orbit and go ground side."

The operator looked at his Supervisor, who nodded in turn.

"Permission granted."

**XXxxXX**

_Citadel…_

Councillor Anderson and Ambassador Udina couldn't believe what they were hearing. Apparently a Fourteen kilometre long ship had just showed up at Earth, out of what appeared to be a portal of some kind. And to escalate the situation, the ship's designation was in English. Now there was a Council meeting in regards to this matter, both men knew that they were going to get one helluva roasting from all the other parties.

They had also received reports that the ship, _Unyielding_ was now in orbit of Earth, and the ship's CO, this Master Chief is human and was allowed to roam free, and not held in custody.

"What the hell are they thinking?" muttered Udina.

"Udina," said Anderson, "the man has the largest ship we've ever seen, in orbit of Earth. The guys back home are afraid that if they don't grant him access, he can dish out a lot of hell."

"I know, I know. I just wished those guys could've detained him, instead he's running around on Earth. God this is going to cause us hell from the Council. Now they're going to think that he's one of us, and Cerberus is going to go crazy over him."

"I know what you mean, but anyone in their right mind wouldn't want to detain a guy who has a warship that could destroy an entire fleet of dreadnoughts, besides, we have no right to have him in our custody, he saved Shepard. Don't worry, we have liaisons with him. He said that he's searching for a couple of things and then he'll be leaving."

"Leaving! Where is he going, we can't have him running off. He has no political affiliations as far as we know it, and if he's going _home_, then that would mean there are more like him out there. Ahhhhh this is one helluva political shit storm."

"Be aware that if we detain him, it could attract the attention of his people, and that won't be good."

"Fine, I'm going to need to find a way to talk to the Council about this."

"You won't have to Udina, I'll do it. They're calling a meeting alongside all Citadel races."

…

Later, Udina and Anderson were at the seats, getting a major grilling from the Turians and various other species. Anderson was bearing most of the brunt since he was the human councillor.

"You're abusing your powers since you got onto the council seat!" they shouted.

"This is a trick by the Alliance! This man is a part of the Alliance, how many more of these ships do you have out there?"

"Our reports say that this man is an augmented super soldier. That is illegal!"

"For the last time," sighed Udina, "this man has no affiliations with us. We have no records of him or this ship. Our reports say that he is well over five hundred years old because he was cryogenically preserved. He is affiliated with the United Nations Space Command, we have no idea who or what they are, but they are big."

"We've all read the reports Udina, we'll be watching the Alliance closely on this one."

**XXxxXX**

_UNSC Unyielding…_

John stood at the Command Bridge, his eyes scanned across the monitors. They were picking up a UNSC beacon. And Cortana was currently decrypting it.

"Chief, I have detected a UNSC beacon at New Mombasa, the beacon says that the building has sustained minor damages but is still operational."

"Good, prep a few pelicans with warthogs to take me planet side."

"Aye, aye. Don't forget you have liaisons, keep them in loop to keep other races happy."

"Sure thing, I can't believe these people."

"What can you do if you don't want to cause trouble?"

_Earth_…

The Warthog Troop Transport roared down the vast areas of Africa, kicking up dirt and grass. John was in the driver's seat, Shepard sat in the passenger seat, while Mordin, Samara and Kelly sat in the back. They were the liaisons sent to keep an eye on the Spartan.

As John neared his destination, his GPS tracker began to beep louder and faster, he was closing in on the encrypted UNSC beacon, Cortana had discovered a day earlier.

But the group wasn't alone, behind them followed reporters and security teams.

Finally the Spartan reached his destination. The beacon's signal originated from a large hill in front of him, it should be noted that it was the only hill for miles around.

John stood on the plains of where New Mombasa was supposed to be. The Spartan looked truly magnificent in his armour, amongst the scenery. Though there were numerous reporters and security forces watching him. The security forces were struggling to hold back the immense tide of people trying to get a scoop on the Spartan, for John, this was a different kind of fame that was too alien for him.

During the war, it was grateful civilians, grateful reporters and inspired soldiers. But here, it was just reporters who wanted to get in on the action, and weary soldiers.

"Master Chief!"

"Spartan! Over here!' yelled the reporters and journalists, nut John ignored them.

The Spartan then activated his comlink. "Cortana, I've found the site, you can send in the drones to help with the excavation."

"Copy Chief, sentinels are on the way."

John then retrieved markers from the Warthog and created a perimeter, it would have been easier if he was airdropped at this exact location with the sentinels, but he couldn't do it with so many suspicious of him, and he needed to bring the liaisons along with him.

An hour later, Strato-Sentinels had arrived to aid in the excavation of the site. John had to go through great lengths to convince the local authority that the Strato-Sentinels weren't a threat, just so he could have then turn up without being shot at.

"What are you doing?" asked Kelly.

"Digging, a UNSC beacon is just under the surface. My guess there is a facility here."

"Military?"

"No, protocol states that if a military base is to be abandoned, then it is to either be destroyed or go off grid."

A few hours later, the whole area was surrounded by mounds of dirt and rock. As people glanced into the excavation site and gasped. Most of the hill had been dug away and revealed a building.

More hours passed, and finally, the entire building had been unearthed, of course reporters had to be forced back in order for further excavation to continue.

Eventually, the entire building and the lot it was built on was cleared and for the first time in many years, was touched by sunlight.

John walked down into the digging site followed by Shepard, Solus, Chambers and Samara. The Spartan then stopped at a sign, and smiled. This sign gave him reassurance that he didn't travel through time, or through alternate realities.

The sign read:

_The Museum of Humanity_

_Founded by the UNSC in 2552_

_In honour of those fallen for the defence of Earth and her colonies._

…

"Oh my god," whispered Chambers.

By now, many of the reporters had entered the sight and started to take photos. Any doubts about the existence of the UNSC were now laid to rest.

Although the museum was clearly decrepit, scans showed that its superstructure was fine, and was safe to enter.

The group began to move to the entrance, which were massive dual glass doors. The overhanging cover had prevented the weight of the hill from breaking it down.

John placed his gloved hand on a still functional interface at the entrance. The interface flashed a green light; the sound of turbines began to rumble. Full power started to run back into the building.

The doors parted open, and John walked through. The security forces then formed a perimeter around the entrance, allowing a steady flow of reporters into the building.

A glass atrium welcomed John as he walked into the foyer; there was a map which had numerous exhibits. The exhibits on the Spartan's right were ones about Ancient Europe, Ancient China and so on. But the exhibits, in fact, a whole section on John's left, was dedicated to the Human-Covenant War, and the Discovery of the Forerunner Archives.

John walked to the Human-Covenant War section, and there, in the centre was a statue of him, which read:

-_Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John-117_

_A hero is more than a person, a hero is a belief. A belief that, against impossible odds, the world can be saved—and that the world is still worth saving. Heroes inspire that belief in us. They renew our faith and give us that most precious of all gifts—hope. The world needs heroes. That's why, when a true hero arrives, the world will honour him. He is one of the few remaining Spartan-IIs, the absolute best of the best.-_

As the liaisons read the plaque on the statue, they realised who the Master Chief was. His name was John, and he is a living legacy.

For John, as he read the plaque, he smiled again, _they remember me and my fallen brothers and sisters_, he thought.

He also took the time to change his tag from "Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-II John-117" to "Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Spartan-II John-117."

The group soon arrived at another plaque which read:

_-Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!  
>We laughed, knowing that better men would come,<em>_  
><em>_And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags  
>He wars on Death, for lives: not men, for flags. <em>

"The Next War" –

…

Next, the group reached a very large diorama, named _The John-117 Monument_.

-_The depiction of the Second Battle of New Mombasa_-

…

Above the diorama, played a documentary about the creation of the monument.

_-"__Nations have always built monuments to their heroes. Tributes to the defence against, or conquest of, other nations. But the monument here doesn't favour one nation over another. It is the first of its kind to commemorate the survival of a __species__: our species. More importantly, it commemorates the man who gave the world faith, who gave humanity a future, who made mankind believe again. Master Chief Petty Officer John One-Seventeen." Said the Narrator._

"_So it's no surprise that the piece itself is special. Begun three years ago in 2607, the monument is a diorama built entirely by hand. It is a three-dimensional snapshot of the battlefield, and the soldiers who took to it that day. The scene has been reproduced with painstaking attention to detail and authenticity. Only the men and women who were there know it better. Today, we go behind the scenes to see its creation. "_

_To ensure historical accuracy the boot camp induction scans of every Marine involved in the battle were obtained from the United Nations Space Command records."_

_The video then showed Marine recruits receiving scans._

"_In this way the artists were able to place the right face to the right soldier. After each face is completed, it is matched to a body which has been rendered complete with uniform and body armour, then carved by hand. It was the artist's vision for this tribute to humanity, that each piece be shaped by the hand of man, without the aid of robotic model-making systems. Each handmade soldier is posed, painted, and placed on the battlefield; both the victorious, and the fallen."_

_Images of maps and sceneries were shown._

"_Based on topographical maps of the day, the artists are able to replicate each hill, each plateau, and each ravine to near exact specifications. But one of the real marvels is in the cityscape itself. After the fighting had ceased, meta-archaeologists unearthed the city's building archives. In them were found perfectly-preserved blueprints of every structure in the city. But the challenge was not to merely rebuild the structures; it was to tear them down as well. Artists worked from the city plans to recreate the destruction caused by the fierce fighting: from each bullet hole, to each piece of exposed rebar."_

_At this part, it showed the artist shaping the buildings._

"_Finally, our enemies were also rendered with extraordinary detail. Covenant corpses that had been recovered after the battle provided the models for these fearsome recreations. To complete the picture, authentic Covenant weapons and armour specs were accessed to fully outfit the warriors." _

"_Once the Covenant are placed opposite the Marines, a clear image begins to take shape out of the fog of history. We see how we were outnumbered, outgunned, outmatched, and seeing that we realize the importance of the monument. On that day, half a century ago, our species was pushed to the crumbling edge of extinction. And as we teetered on that precipice, staring down into the abyss, a hand reached out, pulled us back from the brink, and gave us hope. The hand of a hero."_

_Upon watching the video, the liaisons felt the feeling of desperation, the documentary was truly powerful. They wondered what kind of hell John had to go through during the war. They also realised he was a figure the inspired hope and restored faith in despairing soldiers._

_After the documentary, live shorts about UNSC Marines were played._

"_Can you remember what you remember about the battle?" asked the narrator._

"_We had been fighting for a while," answered the retired Major, "on the seventh day we ran out of ammo, we had to scavenge all we could from the weapons that had been left behind, pistols, shotguns rounds, a handful of grenades."_

"_Do you remember where you were?"_

"_When Master Chief armed his grenade, I was on the back of an overturned Warthog firing an M41."_

"_How did you keep it together?"_

"_We knew Master Chief was still in the fight," said the Major, his voice was hoarse and breaking because he it was such an emotional time, "He gave us hope."_

_Surrounding the diorama were personal accounts and profiles, which were read one by one._

_**-First Person Accounts-**_

_**Ian Callahan **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 10056-00254-IC _

_"The fighting was real heavy in the corridor. I'd taken a plasma shot straight to the hip to put me down. After laying in the street for God knows how long, someone finally grabbed me and started pulling me to safety. I remember yelling "thank you" over and over to whoever was tugging me out of harm's way. But then... something just didn't feel right. _

_When I looked to my left I didn't see the standard issue boots of a marine. It was some grotesquely shaped foot. That's when I started screaming. _

_Turns out two Jackals had me. I tried to resist but after a swift kick to my wounded leg, I was in too much pain to fight back. They searched through all my equipment, checking my radio for power. No dice. Without a working radio or weapon I was of little use to them. One of them pulled out his plasma pistol and aimed it right in my face. I closed my eyes and thought of home. That's when I heard two blasts from an M90. I opened my eyes and saw what was left of my captors in crumpled heaps. I never saw the marine that fired those shots. I hope he knows how grateful I am." _

_**Thomas P. Porter **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 19190-54121-TP _

_"Riding in a Scorpion Tank is literally like being in the middle of an explosion. All around you are the sounds of small-arms fire being deflected off your armour, and the head-bashing boom of the 90mm gun. All that combined with the constant grind of the tread leaves little room for anything else to penetrate your ears. It's the sound of war. I know, I listened to it for much too long." _

_**Jackson Law**_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 10082—00055-JL _

"_We were patrolling the southern ridge in a standard Delta formation; three men to a Warthog, three hogs to a patrol. Just before the plasma round obliterated the ground in front of us, I heard our gunner yell out a warning. The next thing I knew, the hog was flipping end over end. _

_I awoke hours later, covered in dirt, about 40 feet from my smouldering vehicle. No one else in my patrol survived the attack. I walked away with 4 cracked ribs and a broken arm." _

_**Sian Wong **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 64040-11144-SW _

"_The bridge turned out to be one hell of a crow's nest. Almost everything that stood above us had been blown to high heaven, and from my position I could pick off Covenant troops up to 1000 yards away. I must have logged around 20 kills the first few hours alone. _

_Eventually the Covenant sent a couple of Banshees to take us out and regain the high ground. As we ran for cover, they peppered us with automatic plasma fire. I still have the burn marks up and down my right side to prove it." _

_**Russel Tinnier **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 10032-00154-RT _

_"The trenches were supposed to be a last line of defence worst-case scenario sort of thing. We're Marines, we prepare for everything. No one thought they'd work against us. And we certainly didn't think they'd become the grave for so many of our own people. _

_"After the bridge was blown they came up the cliff in droves. My platoon was ordered to intercept, but we were out-manned and out-gunned. The bravo kilos quickly saw they could force us back into a trench and trap us like rats. That's when I saw the glow of the plasma grenades. It was all I could do to scramble up that wall. No one else even had the chance. I watched a lot of brave men die that day." _

_**Thomas C. Meyer**_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 10072-00026-TM _

_"It took everything to stand on that bridge and keep shooting across its expanse. I was working with a rocket launcher and the 15 rockets I fired barely made a dent in the enemy onslaught. It quickly became apparent that the only way to slow down the Covenant offense was to blow the bridge in two. We hoped it would force their troops into the valley where we could pick them off from our elevated position. _

_At around 1400 hours the orders came through and BOOM, down it went. We all cheered like hell at the destruction, that is until the dust settled and we were able to see that the Covenant was already pushing a wave through the valley. They didn't even give a second look to their forces who died on that bridge, they just kept rushing forward." _

_**Emmanuel Lomax**_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 66200-16524-EL _

_"I spent the night in a destroyed building, sleeping under the collapsed concrete of the eastern wall. My team was allotted a 4-hour sleep shift but when our COM units started squawking, it felt more like we had just lain down. I was still in the haze of waking up when Master Chief stepped into the rubble. _

_Within two minutes every soldier in my squad was locked and loaded, ready to charge into battle behind him. We all felt stronger when he was around, like we were on the brink of winning back our world."_

_**Alice Winters**_

_**SERVICE NUMBER:**__ 74040-18142-AW_

"_I'm a Marine Lieutenant, the usually Jarhead. My unit and I were fighting in the streets of New Mombassa. We were pinned down in a building by a platoon of Covvies, led by a Brute Chieftain. I thought we were done for, but then one lone ODST attacked them from behind and wiping them out. We were all grateful for his help. Once we linked up with him, we learnt that his callsign was 'Rookie', but I can tell you this, that guy is no rookie. He led my unit away to a safer position. Along the way we encountered his squad. There CO was Captain Veronica Dare, she seemed like a nice person, but I knew that she could rip a man in half easily; she's a Helljumper._

_Anyway, during one of our breaks at a supply depot, I was told by Captain Dare that Rookie was the type of soldier who would walk into hell if you ordered him to, and come out alive unscathed. She said that on his first drop, he witnessed an event that had been censored by ONI, and he just wasn't the same since then._

_Later we encountered a burned out school. And that was the first time I heard Rookie say anything besides military jargon. He muttered "Oh god no."_

_When we went inside, I knew what he meant. Rookie was slouching against the wall with his helmet off, running his hand through his hair. Captain Dare stood pale as a ghost with her hand over her mouth. And another ODST was heavying his gut out, vomiting what he had for lunch. I rounded the corner and saw what they were looking at._

_Half the classroom was burned by plasma fire, the kids inside were burned, mutilated, and shredded. I knew that these people were killed quite some time earlier because the bodies were decaying. Some of the bodies had melted heads, missing limbs and cooked flesh. But as I looked closer, I saw bite marks. The Covenant had been eating these kids while they were here. And that was why Rookie was in shock, and it was also why I started to cry for the first time in my career._

_Dare walked over to Rookie and picked him up, as he stood up, she ushered him out of the classroom and into the hallway, and I heard her say, 'Come on, you don't need to see this'._

_Later, I found the courage to ask Dare why Rookie reacted the way he did. She said that the scene in the classroom was similar to the way he found his family."_

_**-Profiles**__**-**_

_**H-133-185 (Mgalekgolo)**_

_**EC#**__: H-133-185 _

_**SPECIES**__: HUNTERS (Lekgolo) _

_Due to the nature and complex biology of Hunters, very little is known about this particular specimen. On the whole, Hunters are considered extremely dangerous, and their ferociousness on the New Mombasa battlefield was no exception. _

_**J-011-422 (Kig-Yar)**_

_**EC#**__: J-011-422 _

_**SPECIES**__: JACKALS (Kig-Yar) _

_J-011-422 is unique among Sniper Jackals in that he was found carrying an energy shield and needler. Normally, a Jackal of this rank would abandon their shield to better handle their beam rifle, the Covenant long range sniper weapon. _

_**Corporal James Dessen **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER**__: 00578-48433-JD _

_Corporal James Dessen was killed in action along the northern ridge of the Battle for New Mombasa. Due to the field reports of the 77th Marine Regiment concerning the bravery of the corporal's actions under fire, he was posthumously awarded the Red Legion of Honour. _

_**Sergeant Thomas Chang**_

_**SERVICE NUMBER**__: 01866-10032-TC _

_A veteran of multiple engagements including the Battle of Installation 04, Sgt. Chang joined the New Mombasa clash fifteen hours after the mission began. As a part of second UNSC infantry wave, the Sergeant was tasked with securing a forward HQ, as well as capturing Covenant prisoners for ONI interrogation. _

_Immediately following the initial battle, Sergeant Chang was given a field promotion and ordered to the western shore of the Mombasa Quays. It was here, while on routine patrol, that Sgt. Chang was killed by Covenant air assault. _

_**B-021-331 (Jiralhanae) **_

_**EC#**__: B-021-331 _

_**SPECIES**__: BRUTES (Jiralhanae) _

_B-021-331 was found dead along the southern bridge span. Although his armour was relatively new, other evidence proved that the Brute was a veteran of many battles. His massive torso contained bullet scars, the blades on his spiker were dull, and one of the four digits on his left hand was missing. _

_While Brute Minors only recently began wearing heavy armour, its protection did little to save this alien from the sniper fire that killed him. _

_(Note: He appears to actually be a Brute Stalker, due to the armour variation.)_

_**G-020-055 (Unggoy) **_

_**EC#**__: G-020-055 _

_**SPECIES**__: GRUNTS (Unggoy) _

_Grunts, often considered ineffective on their own, are the basic unit of the Covenant infantry. G-020-055 is a rarity among his species in that he held a special operations designation. Grunts holding this title and wearing the tell-tale black armour are only called in for special combat situations. His presence on this battle field shows the severity and importance that the Covenant leadership was placing on this particular engagement. _

_**B-010-233 (Jiralhanae)**_

_**EC#**__: B-010-233 _

_**SPECIES**__: BRUTES (Jiralhanae) _

_Very little is known about B-010-233. His red headdress and gravity hammer signify a high rank in Brute wartime society, although his prowess as a soldier is debated. B-010-233 was killed by SMG fire soon after reaching the peak of this ravine. There are no UNSC killed or wounded attributed to his actions. _

_**B-113-421 (Jiralhanae)**_

_**EC#**__: B-113-421 _

_**SPECIES**__: BRUTES (Jiralhanae) _

_B-113-421, notable for his loud animalistic battle cries, is credited with over a dozen UNSC kills. Reports claim that marines would shake with fear when his guttural voice echoed through the valley. The Brute minor was last seen along the top of the New Mombasa ridge just moments after Master Chief's capture. _

_**John-117 **_

_**NAME**__: Classified _

_**SERVICE NUMBER**__: S-117 _

_A tenacious, driven soldier known primarily by his rank, the Master Chief is the last of the Spartan II warriors - an elite group of genetically superior, highly trained super-soldiers. _

_Though much of his wartime record is still classified, it is known that Spartan-117 participated in over 200 battles, neutralized thousands of Covenant targets, and was awarded every UNSC decoration except the Prisoner of War Medallion. _

_The survival of humanity is generally a credited to this man._

_**B-054-846 (Jiralhanae)**_

_**EC#**__: B-054-846 _

_**SPECIES**__: BRUTES (Jiralhanae) _

_B-054-846 reportedly killed 23 marines before being neutralized by Lance Corporal T. B. Chambers scoring a long-range sniper kill. ONI is currently cross-referencing this Brute Chieftain's identifiers against those recorded in previous Brute encounters. _

_**Private Caio Zanato **_

_**SERVICE NUMBER**__: 18221-50020-CZ _

_The Battle for New Mombasa was Private Zanato's first engagement with the Covenant. An extremely capable soldier and recipient of the Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon, the Private was promoted to the rank of Private First Class within his first week of active duty. When asked about his hasty advancement the Private replied, "I got the job because I was the only one in my squad still alive."_

…

As Shepard, Mordin, Samara and Kelly read each of the profiles and personal accounts; they couldn't help but feel that sense of despair that the soldiers of the UNSC endured during the war. Their recounts said it all, how they felt, and what they went through.

As they moved onto other exhibitions, they read the accounts of every Covenant species, from culture to behaviour.

Each were terrifying and savage in their own right.

But what surprised them all was when they learned about the Great Schism in the Covenant, to the finest detail.

Again with this exhibition, there was a video explaining it all.

_-"It is mind numbing for anyone to learn that we allied ourselves with a foe that we'd been fighting for nearly three decades. But it was absolutely necessary since we now shared two common enemies, the Flood and the Covenant Loyalist. For the Top Brass, the Elites were welcomed with open arms due to the fact that they would bolster our strength, numbers and equipment. With them on our side, the battlefield in space was levelled."-_

…

Next was the Flood exhibition, there was also a warning sign about discretion as well

_-"Thanks to the information discovered in the Forerunner Archives, or top scientists came to a conclusion that the Flood was created by the Precursors as a failsafe, not much is known about the Precursors but it should be worth noting, that prehistoric humanity had adapted Precursor technology to become a galactic superpower."-_

…

The Exhibition after the Flood; was the exhibition of the Forerunner-Flood War and Prehistoric humanity.

_-"It is staggering to learn that Prehistoric humanity was once a galactic superpower, but the war against the Flood and the Forerunners was too much for humanity. We lost, and were devolved, we lost all our technological progress. Once we were defeated, the Forerunners had to face the threat of the Flood alone, the Forerunner-Flood War lasted for three hundred years…"-_

**XXxXX**

_Discovery of the Forerunner Archives._

A male voice spoke as videos of scientists uncovering the Forerunner Archives on Reach played.

"_It was a great day for humanity, as we discovered schematics designed by the Forerunners…"_

The tour of the museum rounded off with John knowing what had happened to Earth, because there was a message left behind by Lord Admiral Terrance Hood.

The holoprojector came online, and message played, with Hood talking.

"_Hello, I am Lord Admiral Terrance Hood. Earth has become unstable, high levels of radiation and ion storms of rendered this planet uninhabitable, solar flares and space junk has also rendered Sol unsafe and so, we have decided to leave Sol. If you are seeing this, it is evident this planet and Sol, is now stable. Please activate the beacon under the Master Chief's statue to signal us to return to Earth."_

John once again smiled. Going home to the people he knew was still possible. He walked back to his statue and activated the beacon.

**XXxxXX**

The Museum had every documented event about Humanity, from the Mongol Invasion, to the Interplanetary Wars, to the Insurrectionists, to the Human-Covenant War, to the formation of the Galactic Species Union and finally, to Prehistoric Humanity.

But it still left Shepard stumped about why the UNSC didn't discover Prothean technology on Mars, on the Mass Relay Node near Pluto. It also didn't explain why the H.S.A. didn't find the first Halo ring.

In fact, from what Shepard had learned about the Reapers, that after harvest, every species was pulled back to square one. So why was the Flood still around?

Obviously there was a lot more research to do, but in the meantime, the UNSC was going to reveal itself to the galactic stage.

**XXxxXX**

**A/N: Forerunner Dreadnought Class are the Forerunner ships we see in Halo Wars.**

**The Keyships are the ships that are of the same model and class as the Forerunner Ship that powered **_**High Charity**_**.**

**Also, it's still going to take a few more thousand words to give you the full background, but this should keep you going.**


	3. Return of the UNSC

**Hello again… if you haven't noticed, I've edited some of the chapters so this could flow smoothly. Also keep an eye out for **_**Lost Legacy**_**. **

**XXxxXX**

_Citadel…_

"He did what?" yelled Udina referring to John. He was still reeling back from the news that the Spartan-II had just activated a homing beacon.

"Calm down Udina, he just activated a homing beacon."

"Just activated a homing beacon? I can't believe you're the councillor and don't understand the magnitude of what is happening."

"Enough Udina," growled Anderson, "if you've read the reports, you know that the UNSC are just like us."

"Yes," pondered Udina, "but far stronger."

"Now is not the time to wallow, in… whatever you wallow in. We need to be prepared for the UNSC when they turn up. Admiral Hackett will be here any minute now so get a grip."

The dual doors in Anderson's office opened. In walked Hackett who ordered his bodyguard detail to remain outside.

"Councillor Anderson," he said and offered his hand.

"Admiral Hackett," said Anderson who shook his hand.

"Care to give me an update?"

"Well no doubt you've heard of this newcomer, his rank is Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy," said Anderson, "a Spartan-II."

"Hmm, the man must have done some service to get that position."

"Indeed, well he shows up out of nowhere with a ship that makes Sovereign and Destiny Ascension look like toys."

"That big huh?" said the Admiral as he paced around the room, "well if the UNSC does exist, now doubt there will be more of these ships."

"What of Cerberus?" asked Udina, "what do you think they'll do when they get their hands on UNSC technology?"

"We shouldn't be just focusing on the UNSC," interrupted Anderson, "reports on the Museum of Humanity shows that there are seven alien races we have never encountered, three of which look like they could easily rip a Krogan in half."

"Ah yes, the Covenant, and the Separatists," stated Udina.

"Yes, but didn't the reports say that the UNSC managed to subdue those races?" asked Anderson.

"Not exactly, the UNSC with the aid of Separatist Forces used some kind of super weapon to decimate the majority of the Covenant."

"Super weapon?" asked Udina, clearly alarmed.

"Halo, it's probably in the hands of the UNSC, all of them," answered Anderson.

"How many exactly?"

"According to the reports, seven, spread out around the galaxy," said Hackett.

"How come we've never encountered those before?" Udina said, puzzled.

"They must have been pretty far away from the Mass Relay network. There is much of the galaxy still unexplored," concluded Anderson.

There was a small pause as the three men took a moment to collect their thoughts.

"This is big," said Anderson, looking at the two, "this will be much bigger than the Geth attack on Citadel, and much bigger than the discovery of Prothean artifacts."

"Still doesn't explain why we're System Alliance instead of UNSC," Hackett frowned, "something just doesn't add up."

"I know," interjected Anderson, "ion storms and solar flares just don't simply occur without warning… unless someone caused it."

"Do you think it could be Reapers?" wondered Hackett.

"Ah Reapers," said Udina sarcastically, "there just isn't enough evidence to prove their existence."

"You can't prove something does not exist either," countered Anderson.

"I spoke to Shepard recently, he told me about an impending invasion of the Reapers. I won't go into detail but what he told me is that the Reapers are real, and they're coming."

"I hope you're wrong," Udina muttered, "but if you're right, then let's hope the UNSC and its allies can help us."

**XXxxXX**

_UNSC Faith, Reach, High Orbit…_

He had done this for many years, if not centuries, Lord Admiral Terrence Hood stood at the observation deck, staring out at the vastness of space. Every so often when he wasn't dealing with military affairs, Terrence would reflect on the events that had happened during his lifetime. The Human-Covenant War had ended for many centuries now, but the pain still remained. Some scars cannot be healed, time can do wonderful things, but healing scars that run this deep was not one of them. In his mind, he would always replay a sonnet that he read, a sonnet that was written by a man who lived during the early 21st century. The text was vague yet precise at the same time. It always invoked a deep thought response from the Admiral.

_Transience_

_I've spent many years marvelling at the night sky_

_And starring into the vast abyss_

_With its Milky arm in the distance_

_Below is our home, coated by glowing lights_

_The warm glow slowly flows over humanity_

_Night yields and the soft glow fades_

_Blue expanses and green carpets are soon revealed_

_Fragile, it is all fragile_

_Delicate life, its candle shines a brilliant but short light_

_From soft, to brittle, to crumbling ruins_

_Few can outlast the test of time_

_Some will remain forever_

_Others are destined to be transient_

The sonnet always invoked a spectrum of responses, and for some reason, it always reminded him to be weary of others.

Of course this didn't mean Terrence was prejudice to the Elites, Grunts and Hunters. It would be foolish to; they were now part of an alliance and had strong economic ties. It was interesting to note that the martial culture of the Elites had changed slightly. They were no longer like the Japanese Samurai, but now they were more comparable to Shaolin Monks. They still retained their discipline but no longer seek for glory in fights, and did not take their own life when defeated. They had adopted the "live to fight another day," and "live well, it's the best revenge," principles.

Hood was in deep thought when he was interrupted.

"Sir," said Vice Admiral Jason Levinson, with a hint of excitement to Hood.

"What is it Levinson?"

"You remember the beacon we left on Earth at the Museum of Humanity?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"It's been activated." Levinson said as a matter of factly.

"What?" Hood was shocked, "who activated it?"

"Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John-117."

A smile spread across the Lord Admiral's lips. The beacon was activated, Earth and Sol is safe once again.

The hero has returned. He would finally have it, peace. For all most of John's life, it had never been easy, it was always one challenge after another, soon he could rest in content and experience the vibrant culture he had saved from utter destruction.

"Prepare the 7th Battle Group for departure. We're heading home."

"Yes sir."

The engines of the UNSC _Faith_ rumbled and flared to life as it moved away from Reach. The 7th Battle Group came to life as it prepared a slipspace jump, to Earth.

**XXxxXX**

_Unyielding…_

The Master Chief sat in one of the lounges aboard the Keyship. He decided to unwind for the day so that he could reflect on his life.

It had been an eventful day for John. The UNSC was still out there, and they were coming back.

The Spartan was truly glad for this, for the world he was in is truly foreign. Sure he was surrounded by humans and benevolent aliens, and some less savoury characters, but it just didn't feel like home. Below him was Earth, with no scars from the Human-Covenant war, and no footprint of the UNSC. In fact, all of Sol was like that. He was at the birth place of humanity, but it just didn't feel like home. It was obvious why; the people who truly knew him, the people who he fought to protect weren't there. Earth is now just an alien world to him that offered little solace in the bloody world he grew up in.

"Something bothering you Chief?" asked Cortana as she appeared on a holotank.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? You sound weary, stressed and somewhat depressed."

"I'm fine Cortana. I was just hoping that everything would end up in a happy ending, gift wrapped."

"Chief, you and I both know that life doesn't work like that."

"I know," nodded and sighed the Spartan, "I just want to go home."

"What's home Chief?" chuckled Cortana.

"I'd send UNSC HighCom a message or a transmission if I could but I can't. The UNSC have obviously switched to a totally different network that I cannot interface with, not until I know what it is."

"I know."

"Hey, chin up, they're coming Chief."

John smiled at his companion, and leaned back into his seat, recalling all those faces that he'll never see again. The Spartan led a painful yet rewarding life, and he'd have it no other way.

**XXxxXX**

_Normandy SR-2…_

Sam Shepard walked to the cockpit, it was part of his usual check-up routine, and whenever he'd get the chance he would walk around the ship and check on his crew.

"So, how'd it go Commander?" asked Joker as he swivelled around the chair.

"How did what go?"

"The Spartan-II, Master Chief," answered Joker, "it's been all over the news and the extranet."

"Oh that, it went well."

"So I heard. What do you think of the UNSC?"

"If they do exist, they'll be monumental in holding the Reapers. I've seen a glimpse of their technology, the UNSC is strong. But I think the Reapers might far outnumber them."

"Commander, you saw what one Reaper ship could do, it took fleets to contain it. Now you're saying that the Reapers will outnumber us," Joker sighed, "I'm sorry sir but things look bleak."

"Joker, you saw what one lone UNSC Stealth Corvette could do."

"Touche."

**XXxxXX**

_Unyielding…_

John was down at the firing range practicing, when Cortana appeared.

"Chief, we're being hailed."

"By who?"

"UNSC _Faith_," smiled the A.I.

**XXxxXX**

**A/N: I know this is short, but I'm getting a lot of people who want an update sending me messages. Anyway, it'll give you a taste of what is to come.**

**I'm also aware that I haven't explained the split of humanity, but don't worry, I'm saving that to last.**

…

_**Gamazek**_**, um, I didn't put any Deus Ex Machina in, they were all common knowledge within the UNSC. I never had the Chief talk about classified things. Compare my story to others and you'll know what I mean. I read a Mass Effect/Halo where the moment John gets out of his Cryotube on **_**Forward Unto Dawn**_**, he immediately spins his life story, down to the last detail of the Spartan program. In fact, I've seen that happen a lot in other Xovers.**

_**Kitsune-demon16**_**, you really think this is my best work yet? Thanks… super smiley face. =D**

**To **_**twilight dragon god**_**, well it's nice to know that you've been motivated to continue writing you're story, and best of luck, please send me a pm when you're done. I'd love to read it.**

**And to everybody else, thanks for the reviews and the support. Also, has anyone still figured out which personal account I fabricated in the last chapter?**


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